Luke 22 52

Luke 22:52 kjv

Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves?

Luke 22:52 nkjv

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?

Luke 22:52 niv

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs?

Luke 22:52 esv

Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?

Luke 22:52 nlt

Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. "Am I some dangerous revolutionary," he asked, "that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me?

Luke 22 verses

Luke 22 52 Meaning

Luke 22:52 records Jesus' pointed question to the religious and temple authorities who came to arrest him in Gethsemane. He challenged their methods, equating their large armed procession "with swords and clubs" to an attack on a dangerous brigand, rather than an arrest of a public teacher. This question subtly highlights their hypocrisy, their fear-driven, underhanded approach, and their grave misunderstanding of His person and mission, implying a false accusation and an unnecessary show of force against one who consistently taught peace and submitted to divine will.

Luke 22 52 Context

Luke 22:52 takes place immediately after Judas's betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane and Peter's rash act of cutting off the ear of the high priest's servant, which Jesus miraculously healed. The verse marks a pivotal moment of confrontation, following Jesus' deep anguish and submission to the Father's will in prayer (Lk 22:42). The full Sanhedrin leadership — chief priests, temple officers, and elders — personally arriving at Gethsemane with an armed mob underscores the grave determination and official nature of the arrest. Their nocturnal, covert operation contrasted sharply with Jesus' public teachings during the day in the Temple courts. Historically, the term "robber" (λῃστής, lēstēs) carried significant weight in Roman-occupied Judea, often referring not just to common thieves but to political rebels or insurgents who threatened Roman authority. Thus, by calling Jesus a lēstēs, the authorities implicitly aimed to connect him to insurrectionists, making him appear as a violent threat deserving of this overwhelming force and justifying Roman intervention later.

Luke 22 52 Word analysis

• Then Jesus said (Εἶπεν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς)

  • Word: "Then" (De) functions as a transition, but its specific nuance here suggests a solemn and deliberate shift from previous events (the betrayal, Peter's violence) to Jesus' authoritative speech.
  • Significance: Even in His capture, Jesus retains control through His words. His speech is a measured response, not a panicked reaction.

• to the chief priests (πρὸς τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς)

  • Word: Archireis (ἀρχιερεῖς). Refers to the priestly aristocracy, often members of the powerful Sadducee party, who held significant religious and political authority.
  • Significance: These are the primary instigators and religious leaders of the plot against Jesus, highlighting the top-down nature of the opposition.

• and officers of the temple (καὶ στρατηγοὺς τοῦ ἱεροῦ)

  • Word: Strategous tou hierou (στρατηγοὺς τοῦ ἱεροῦ). The Temple Captain or officers, essentially the heads of the Temple guard. They maintained order within the Temple courts and held police authority in Jerusalem under the High Priest.
  • Significance: Their presence indicates an official arrest by the Jewish religious police force.

• and the elders (καὶ πρεσβυτέρους)

  • Word: Presbyterous (πρεσβυτέρους). Respected leaders from prominent Jewish families, lay members of the Sanhedrin.
  • Significance: This group, together with chief priests and officers, represents the full authoritative body of the Sanhedrin, emphasizing the full official weight of Jewish leadership in Jesus' arrest.

• who had come out against Him (τοὺς ἐληλυθότας ἐπ' αὐτόν)

  • Word: Elēlythotas ep' auton. A perfect participle, indicating a state of having come out. "Against Him" emphasizes their hostile intent and destination.
  • Significance: They actively sought him out and specifically came against him, highlighting premeditated aggression and a focused assault.

• "Are you come out as against a robber?" (Ὡς ἐπὶ λῃστήν)

  • Word: Hōs epi lēstēn. The Greek lēstēs (λῃστής) is crucial. It means more than just a common thief (kleptēs). It denotes a brigand, a highwayman, an insurrectionist, a revolutionary, or a violent plunderer.
  • Significance: Jesus is calling out their deliberate mischaracterization of him. They treated him like a dangerous insurgent or a national threat, deserving of armed apprehension, contrasting sharply with his public persona as a peaceful teacher and healer. This also foreshadows his crucifixion alongside two such lēstai (Mt 27:38).

• "with swords" (μετὰ μαχαιρῶν)

  • Word: Machairōn (μαχαιρῶν). Refers to short swords or daggers, commonly used by soldiers or brigands for close combat or self-defense.
  • Significance: This detail underscores the aggressive and threatening nature of the arresting party, implying a readiness for violent engagement.

• "and clubs?" (καὶ ξύλων;)

  • Word: Xylōn (ξύλων). Wooden staffs, clubs, or cudgels, typically used by common people for defense or by patrols to subdue rioters.
  • Significance: These are instruments of brute force, reinforcing the image of an arrest designed for a dangerous, resisting criminal rather than a peace-loving individual. The question mark makes Jesus' statement a powerful, rhetorical challenge to their rationale.

Word Groups analysis

• "to the chief priests and officers of the temple and the elders": This complete enumeration signifies the concerted, unified opposition of the entire Jewish authoritative body against Jesus. It wasn't a mob; it was a leadership-led operation, granting it official, yet deeply corrupt, sanction.
• "who had come out against Him as against a robber": This phrase captures the essence of their malicious intent and false accusation. "Come out" implies premeditation, and "as against a robber" reveals their pretense of dealing with a violent insurrectionist, thereby justifying their armed presence. This accusation directly undermines Jesus' claim as the peaceful Messiah.
• "with swords and clubs?": The pairing of offensive weaponry highlights the excessive and disproportionate force deployed. For a prophet who preached love and healing, such an armament signified fear, a desire for overwhelming control, and a readiness for violence, which Jesus peacefully challenged.

Luke 22 52 Bonus section

• Dramatic Contrast: The scene highlights the extreme contrast between Jesus' non-violence (even healing a severed ear) and the violent readiness of His opponents. It emphasizes the spiritual nature of the conflict rather than a physical one.
• Echoes of Jeremiah: The phrase "as against a robber" implicitly harks back to Jer 7:11, where God accuses the people of making His temple "a den of robbers." The very authorities who were supposed to uphold God's law were acting in ways that ironically mirrored the unrighteousness condemned in the Old Testament, betraying the sacred space they protected by attacking God's Son.
• Public vs. Covert: Jesus implicitly criticizes their nighttime, covert arrest in contrast to His daily public teaching in the Temple. "Why did you not lay hands on Me in the temple?" (Lk 22:53a) underscores their cowardice and fear of the crowd, as well as the dark nature of their deeds.
• The Power of Darkness: Jesus concludes in the next verse (Lk 22:53b), "But this is your hour, and the power of darkness." This indicates that while their actions were evil, they were allowed by divine providence as part of God's redemptive plan, operating within a temporal allowance given to the forces of spiritual darkness to seemingly triumph for a season.

Luke 22 52 Commentary

Luke 22:52 captures a moment of stark dramatic irony and exposes the hypocrisy of Jesus' captors. His rhetorical question cuts to the heart of their duplicity: they, the religious authorities, felt compelled to apprehend the 'Prince of Peace' with an overwhelming display of armed force usually reserved for violent criminals or revolutionaries. This approach was deeply contradictory to Jesus' character and consistent teachings, where He had openly taught in the Temple courts daily without resistance. His peaceful conduct throughout His ministry and His present willingness to submit (foreshadowed by His prayer for God's will) rendered their militaristic show completely unwarranted. By framing Jesus as a "robber" (lēstēs), they deliberately attempted to demonize Him and associate Him with insurrection, validating their unjust actions and providing a potential basis for Roman intervention. Jesus, in His composure and authority, challenges their entire narrative, laying bare the truth of their fear, their corruption, and their premeditated injustice, thereby fulfilling prophetic scriptures of the Suffering Servant.